Steel Water Towers Associated with South Dakota Water Systems, 1894-1967
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STEEL WATER TOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTH DAKOTA WATER SYSTEMS, 1894-1967 AN HISTORIC CONTEXT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE This report has been financed in part with the Federal funds from the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior. This program receives Federal Financial assistance from the National Park Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the American With Disabilities Act of 1990, and South Dakota law SDCL 20-13, the State of South Dakota and U. S. Department of the Interior prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, ancestry or national origin. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: South Dakota Division of Human Rights, State Capital, Pierre, SD 57501, or the Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 201 I Street NW, Washington, D. C. 20240. STEEL WATER TOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTH DAKOTA WATER SYSTEMS, 1894-1967 An Historic Context Prepared for: South Dakota State Historical Society 900 Governors Drive Pierre, SD 57501 Prepared by: Gregory R. Mathis with contributions by John Chlebeck, PE The 106 Group Ltd. The Dacotah Building 370 Selby Avenue St. Paul, MN 55102 and Short Elliott Hendrickson 3535 Vadnais Center Drive St. Paul, MN 55110 September, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... i List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... iv 1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL LIMITS ............................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 Geographic Boundaries ...................................................................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 Temporal Boundaries ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 TYPES OF PROPERTIES ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 Historical Overview ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF WATER WORKS IN THE UNITED STATES ........................................................... 7 2.2 THE HISTORY OF WATER TOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH WATER SYSTEMS IN SOUTH DAKOTA ............. 10 2.2.1 Geographical Background ................................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.2 Early Water Systems, 1879-1903 .................................................................................................................. 10 2.2.2.1 The Artesian Well Craze ................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.3 The Rise of the Steel Water Tower, 1894-1936 .............................................................................................. 15 2.2.3.1 Fire Protection .................................................................................................................................. 18 2.2.3.2 Regulation .......................................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.4 Federal Relief Construction, 1933-1941 ......................................................................................................... 23 2.2.4.1 Public Works Administration ......................................................................................................... 24 2.2.4.1 Works Progress Administration ..................................................................................................... 28 2.2.5 Increased Regulation, New Forms, and the Post World War II Boom, 1936-1967 ........................................ 29 2.3 EVOLUTION OF STEEL WATER TOWER DESIGN ............................................................................................ 31 2.3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3.2 Early Elevated Water Storage Structures ........................................................................................................ 32 2.3.3 The Development of All-Steel Water Towers, 1893-1905 .............................................................................. 32 2.3.4 Elliptical Bottoms, Increased Capacities and Aesthetics, 1907-1928 .............................................................. 34 2.3.5 New Shapes and Forms, 1928-1967 .............................................................................................................. 36 2.3.5.1 Advent of Welding ........................................................................................................................... 40 2.3.5.2 Site Planning and Aesthetics ........................................................................................................... 41 2.4 WATER TOWER MANUFACTURERS AND FABRICATORS ................................................................................. 41 2.4.1 Chicago Bridge & Iron Works ........................................................................................................................ 42 2.4.2 Pittsburg-Des Moines Steel .............................................................................................................................. 43 i 2.4.3 Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company .................................................................................................... 45 2.4.4 Omaha Structural Steel Works ....................................................................................................................... 46 2.4.5 W. E. Caldwell ............................................................................................................................................... 46 2.4.6 Other Designers, Steel Suppliers, and Fabricators............................................................................................ 46 3.0 The Identification and Evaluation of Steel Water Towers Associated with Water Systems in South Dakota ......................................................................................................................................... 49 3.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 49 3.2 WATER TOWER TYPES ......................................................................................................................................... 49 3.2.1 Legged Towers ................................................................................................................................................. 50 3.2.1.1 Leg types ............................................................................................................................................ 50 3.2.1.2 Traditional Style Towers ................................................................................................................. 51 3.2.1.1 Double Ellipsoidal ............................................................................................................................ 52 3.2.1.2 Torus Bottom .................................................................................................................................... 52 3.2.1.3 Spherical ............................................................................................................................................. 52 3.2.1.1 Toro-Spherical and Toro-Ellipsoidal ............................................................................................ 52 3.2.2 Single Pedestal ................................................................................................................................................. 58 3.2.2.1 Spherical ............................................................................................................................................. 58 3.2.2.2 Spheroid ............................................................................................................................................. 58 3.3 ALTERATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 61 3.4 ASSOCIATED RESOURCE TYPES .........................................................................................................................